Genetic, metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses of the cotton yellow anther trait.

In the fiber industry, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important crop. One of the most important morphology traits of plants is the color of the anthers, is closely related to pollen fertility and stress resistance.

Semaglutide in obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and type 2 diabetes across baseline HbA levels (STEP-HFpEF DM): a prespecified analysis of heart failure and metabolic outcomes from a randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: About half of patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have type 2 diabetes. In the STEP-HFpEF DM trial of adults with obesity-related HFpEF and type 2 diabetes, subcutaneous once weekly semaglutide 2·4 mg conferred improvements in heart failure-related symptoms and physical limitations, bodyweight, and other heart failure outcomes. We aimed to determine whether these effects of semaglutide differ according to baseline HbA.

Reinventing the evaluation wheel: COGwheel's co-designed digital innovation using the Qualtrics heat map.

The involvement of service-users, clinicians, and other health service end-users is recognised as an essential part of health and medical research. This collaborative approach can significantly contribute to methodological advancements including the development of research instruments and measures that ensure their suitability for research participants. The current paper details the co-design, development and implementation of the novel, digitised COGwheel (Co-designed Outcomes for Guests Evaluation Wheel).

Interaction of B0AT1 deficiency and diet on metabolic function and diabetes incidence in male NOD mice.

Context: The obesity epidemic parallels an increasing type 1 diabetes incidence, such that westernized diets, containing high fat, sugar and/or protein, through inducing nutrient-induced islet beta-cell stress, have been proposed as contributing factors. The broad-spectrum neutral amino acid transporter (B0AT1), encoded by Slc6a19, is the major neutral amino acids transporter in intestine and kidney. B0AT1 deficiency in C567Bl/6J mice, causes aminoaciduria, lowers insulinemia and improves glucose tolerance.

Lymphatic filariasis transmission 10 years after stopping mass drug administration in the Gomoa West District of Ghana.

Objectives: A survey was conducted 10 years after stopping MDA in the Gomoa West District of Ghana to assess the Wuchereria bancrofti prevalence in both human and mosquito populations.

Methods: In seven communities, infection in humans was assessed using the filariasis test strip (FTS). Mosquitoes were collected once a month over six months using pyrethrum spray catches (PSC).

Enhance health evidence quality in classification tasks: A triangulation approach utilizing case-based reasoning and process features.

Objective: Machine learning (ML) has enabled healthcare discoveries by facilitating efficient modeling, such as for cancer screening. Unlike clinical trials, real-world data used in ML are often gathered for multiple purposes, leading to bias and missing information for a specific classification task. This challenge is especially pronounced in healthcare because of stringent ethical considerations and resource constraints.

Examination of adolescent and youth modern contraceptive users' perceptions on how religion influences contraceptive use and their rationale and circumstances of use: qualitative evidence from Burkina Faso, Kenya and Niger.

While religion is a key determining factor of contraceptive use, few studies examine how religion influences adolescent and youth contraceptive attitudes, beliefs, and use. We use recently collected (August-November 2022) qualitative data from Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Niger among young users of modern contraception who practice Christianity or Islam. In-depth interviews with married and unmarried young women ages 18-24 years were conducted in two sites in each country to obtain a mix of religions and method users.

Unstructured Parental Feedback at A Tertiary Maternity Hospital: A Cohort Study Using Routinely Collected Health Data.

Background: Hospital care for neonates can be challenging for parents, and a negative parental experience can affect the well-being of the infant after discharge. A family-centred approach is the gold standard of care in neonatology.

Aim: This study aimed to identify common themes in voluntary unstructured feedback received from parents and caregivers of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, special care nursery or postnatal ward or followed up by neonatal outpatient services at a tertiary Australian Women and Children's Hospital.

Psychotropic Polypharmacy in Dementia: A Retrospective Analysis for People with Neuropsychiatric Symptoms Referred to an Australian Dementia Support Service.

Background And Objectives: Despite their limited benefits and serious adverse effects, psychotropics remain frequently prescribed for neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) of dementia. Psychotropic polypharmacy, the use of two or more concomitant psychotropic medications, is therefore not recommended for people with dementia. The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of psychotropic polypharmacy in Australians living with dementia whose caregivers sought external NPS support from Dementia Support Australia (DSA; the national provider of NPS support) and the association of psychotropic polypharmacy with their demographics and NPS characteristics.

Interactive and unimodal relationships between plant biomass, abiotic factors, and plant diversity in global grasslands.

Grasslands cover approximately a third of the Earth's land surface and account for about a third of terrestrial carbon storage. Yet, we lack strong predictive models of grassland plant biomass, the primary source of carbon in grasslands. This lack of predictive ability may arise from the assumption of linear relationships between plant biomass and the environment and an underestimation of interactions of environmental variables.

Emergence of locally acquired Japanese encephalitis virus in Australia, January 2021-June 2022: a national case series.

Background And Methods: In March 2022, an outbreak of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection was identified in temperate south-eastern Australia, with detections in humans and animals. The unexpected emergence of JEV prompted a national public health response and a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance was declared. JEV has previously only been identified in tropical north-eastern Australia in localised outbreaks.

Continuous colonization of the Atlantic coastal rain forests of South America from Amazônia.

The two main extensions of rain forest in South America are the Amazon (Amazônia) and the Atlantic rain forest (Mata Atlântica), which are separated by a wide 'dry diagonal' of seasonal vegetation. We used the species-rich tree genus to test if Amazônia-Mata Atlântica dispersals have been clustered during specific time periods corresponding to past, humid climates. We performed hybrid capture DNA sequencing of 810 nuclear loci for 453 accessions representing 164 species that included 62% of Mata Atlântica species and estimated a dated phylogeny for all accessions using maximum likelihood, and a species-level tree using coalescent methods.

Low-vibration cryogenic test facility for next generation of ground-based gravitational-wave observatories.

We present the design and commissioning of a cryogenic low-vibration test facility that measures displacement noise from a gram-scale silicon cantilever at the level of 10-16m/Hz at 1 kHz. This sensitivity is necessary for future tests of thermal noise models on cross sections of silicon suspension samples proposed for future gravitational-wave detectors. A volume of ∼36 l is enclosed by radiation shields cooling an optical test cavity that is suspended from a multi-stage pendulum chain providing isolation from acoustic and environmental noise.

On the Mechanism of Light-Driven O Evolution by the Mn(III) Complex [Mn(salpd)(OH)] and Quinone.

In this study, we apply TD-DFT and DFT calculations to explore the mechanistic details of O evolution in an artificial system that closely resembles Photosystem II (PSII). The reaction involves mononuclear Mn(III) complex [Mn(salpd)(OH)] and -benzoquinone under light-driven conditions. Our calculations reveal that the Schiff-base ligand salpd plays a crucial role in several key steps of the reaction, including the light-mediated oxidation of [Mn(salpd)(OH)] to [Mn(salpd)(OH)] by -benzoquinone, the subsequent oxidation of [Mn(salpd)(OH)] to the key Mn(V) intermediate [Mn(salpd)(O)], and the critical O-O bond formation step.

Ankle joint position sense acuity differences among stroke survivors at three walking ability levels: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Despite the importance of lower limb sensation in walking highlighted in systematic reviews, there is limited research investigating the effect of proprioceptive deficits after stroke and any relationship with walking ability.

Objectives: With stroke survivors of different walking ability, this study aimed to (1) explore side (affected/unaffected) and movement direction (inversion/plantar flexion) effects in ankle joint position sense (JPS) acuity, and (2) compare ankle JPS acuity between groups of stroke survivors with different walking ability.

Methods: Seventy subacute stroke survivors were recruited and divided into three groups based on walking ability, as determined by their gait speed on the 10-Meter Walking Test: household (<0.

The Association of Physical Activity With Overweight/Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in Nepalese Adults: Evidence From a Nationwide Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Survey.

Background: The rising prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a significant public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to explore the association between physical activity levels, overweight/obesity, and T2DM in a nationwide survey of Nepalese adults.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of the 2019 non-communicable diseases (NCD) risk factors STEPS survey conducted in Nepal.

Barriers and enablers in the micronutrient powder supply chain: lessons from a process evaluation of a home fortification programme in Bangladesh.

Background: Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), a leading non-governmental organization (NGO), implemented a large-scale Home Fortification (HF) with Micronutrient Powder (MNP) programme from 2013 to 2018 aimed to reduce undernutrition and iron deficiency anemia among children aged below 5 years old. An adequate and timely supply of MNP was crucial for successful implementation of the programme, but very few studies have documented implementers' MNP supply chain experiences. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the barriers and enablers in the MNP supply chain in Bangladesh.

Synthesis and Investigation of Peptide-Drug Conjugates Comprising Camptothecin and a Human Protein-Derived Cell-Penetrating Peptide.

Drug targeting strategies, such as peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs), have arisen to combat the issue of off-target toxicity that is commonly associated with chemotherapeutic small molecule drugs. Here we investigated the ability of PDCs comprising a human protein-derived cell-penetrating peptide-platelet factor 4-derived internalization peptide (PDIP)-as a targeting strategy to improve the selectivity of camptothecin (CPT), a topoisomerase I inhibitor that suffers from off-target toxicity. The intranuclear target of CPT allowed exploration of PDC design features required for optimal potency.

Communicating certainty via verbal probability phrases: comparing health contexts with no context.

Introduction: Medical professionals often use verbal phrases to communicate uncertainties and certainties with their patients and the general public.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate factors that can influence people's interpretation of probability phrases of certainty and uncertainty communicated by doctors in health and medical settings.

Methods: An experimental study with a randomized factorial design was conducted to examine both context-related factors and individual difference factors on participants' interpretation across directions of phrases and frames of the context.

Commentary: towards a national research infrastructure strategy for preclinical biological models in Australia.

Research infrastructure is critical for advancing knowledge of health and disease, fostering innovation through world-class, cutting-edge facilities and technical expertise. Phenomics Australia is Australia's national research infrastructure provider responsible for accelerating advances in mammalian functional genomics and precision medicine through the development and delivery of services and expertise in engineered disease model production, phenotyping, and biobanking. These capabilities and resources are enabled by Australia's National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and primarily support health and medical research for significant healthcare and economic benefits.

Structures of aberrant spliceosome intermediates on their way to disassembly.

Intron removal during pre-mRNA splicing is of extraordinary complexity and its disruption causes a vast number of genetic diseases in humans. While key steps of the canonical spliceosome cycle have been revealed by combined structure-function analyses, structural information on an aberrant spliceosome committed to premature disassembly is not available. Here, we report two cryo-electron microscopy structures of post-B spliceosome intermediates from Schizosaccharomyces pombe primed for disassembly.

Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries.

Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists.

Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries - the TISP dataset.

Science is integral to society because it can inform individual, government, corporate, and civil society decision-making on issues such as public health, new technologies or climate change. Yet, public distrust and populist sentiment challenge the relationship between science and society. To help researchers analyse the science-society nexus across different geographical and cultural contexts, we undertook a cross-sectional population survey resulting in a dataset of 71,922 participants in 68 countries.